1 . When you set a foot outside of your door to drop trash, go to a social event or go for a walk, thoughts like “I hope I don’t see anyone I know” or “please don’t talk to me” may run through your mind. I’ve also said such things to myself. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is to talk with someone, especially someone new.
Why do we go out of our ways to avoid people? Do we think meeting new people is a waste of time? Or are we just lazy, thinking that meeting someone new really is a trouble?
Communication is the key to life. We have been told that many times. Take the past generations, like our parents, for example. They seem to take full advantage of that whole “communication” idea because they grew up talking face to face while Generation-Y grew up staring at screens. We spend hours of our days sitting on Facebook. We send messages to our friends and think about all of the things we want to say to certain people that we don’t have the courage to do in reality.
Nowadays, we are so caught up in our little circle of friends—our comfort zone. We love it that they laugh at our jokes, understand our feelings and can read our minds. Most importantly, they know when we want to be alone. They just get us.
Holding a conversation with someone new means agreeing with things that you don’t really believe and being someone you think they want you to be—it is, as I said before, a trouble. It takes up so much energy, and at some point or another, it is too tiring.
But meeting new people is important. Life is too short, so meet all the people you can meet, make the effort to go out and laugh. Remember, every “hello” leads to a smile—and a smile is worth a lot.
1. What do we learn about the author?| A．He likes to meet someone new. | B．He feels stressed out lately. |
| C．He’s active in attending social events. | D．He used to be afraid of talking to others. |
| A．They rely on the Internet to socialize. | B．They are less confident in themselves. |
| C．They have difficulty in communicating. | D．They are unwilling to make new friends. |
| A．They think it troublesome. | B．They are busy with their study. |
| C．They fear to disappoint their friends. | D．They want to do meaningful work. |
| A．To stress the importance of friends. |
| B．To give tips on how to meet new people. |
| C．To encourage people to meet new people. |
| D．To display the disadvantages of Generation-Y. |
2 . About 72% of Americans use social media, where it’s common to make new friends, build relationships, or share photos of your daily life.
Social media allows people to connect in ways that wouldn’t otherwise be possible, and can often expand (扩展) people’s social circles, says Kathryn Moore, Ph. D., a psychologist at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica. On social media, you can connect with those people in similar situations and share worries, fears, and celebrations, Moore says. According to her research, up to 64% of teens report they have made a new friend online, for example, and 83% of teens report that social media makes them feel more connected with their friends.
Social media can negatively impact relationships when you start comparing yourself to other people, including your friends, just based on their social media, Moore says. For example, some may fear their lives aren’t as good as their friends’ and take friendships away because they feel they’re not good enough. Problems with self-esteem (自尊) can also appear when posting about some relationships on social media, but not all of them. “People might feel left out that they’re not as important if they’re not being shared on social media,” Moore says. Cyberbullying (网络霸凌) can also negatively impact relationships, whether you are receiving mean comments or sending them to someone else.
In order to grow a relationship that started online you should show the real you. To deepen a relationship that started on social media, Moore suggests talking on the phone or meeting in person. This allows for more fluid (流畅的) conversations, where you can communicate in real time. Remember that the people who you meet online can become an important part of your life.
“If a relationship created through online resources is treated with respect and consideration, it can be a great way to meet someone you might never have had the chance to meet,” says Don Grant, Ph. D., chairman of the American Psychological Association’s Device Management & Intelligence Committee.
1. What can we say about social media according to Moore’s research?| A．It has become the most important way for teens to make friends. |
| B．It prevents people from making friends in real life. |
| C．It can help teens to develop real relationships. |
| D．It makes teens feel more lonely and lost. |
| A．Social media may influence relationships in a bad way. |
| B．Building relationships online is not a piece of cake. |
| C．Relationship online makes people less connected. |
| D．Social media increases the risk of cyberbullying. |
| A．It leads people to lose chances to meet face to face. |
| B．It is more respectable than the relationship in real life. |
| C．It can be meaningful if dealt with properly. |
| D．It can be developed in an informal way. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
3 . How Helping Others Benefits You
Everyone wants to lead a happy and fulfilling life, so it’s natural to want to put yourself and your health first! However, helping other people can also directly help you at the same time.
Here are a few ways that helping others can benefit you：
·Attract more back to you.
When you give, you’re more likely to receive. You don’t necessarily need to keep the receiving in mind when you decide to give, but nature may just take its course.
·Bring you a good feeling.
If you volunteer your time to help others, you’re sharing your blessings with those less fortunate, which is a wonderful gift to give! You’ll likely return home after volunteering with a smile on your face.
·Heighten self-esteem.
When you help others, you may be helping yourself to a heightened self-esteem. A positive result for your good deeds enables you to feel pride in your accomplishments.
·
After you’ve done something nice, you may also find that your confidence increases. The fact that your helpful acts have turned out so positive might lead you to the confidence you need in your own life.
·Be more positive about your own situation.
Sometimes you’ll find that you’re your own worst critic. You might accept the faults of others, but you may be less likely to accept your own. Helping others can help you to accept your own situation and your own faults.
Seek out opportunities, today, to help others. You’ll be glad you did!
| A．Strengthen confidence. |
| B．Make a difference. |
| C．It may help you to start seeing everything in a more positive light. |
| D．Maybe a friend will unexpectedly return a favor. |
| E．It also builds confidence in bigger and better things. |
| F．Just by completing a giving act, you receive positive feelings in your life. |
| G．It makes you feel surprised to know that you’ve made a difference in the world. |
Introduce Yourself
It’s not necessary to be clever when you introduce yourself. Simply focus on being genuine and sincere. When you approach the other person to start the conversation, give him a warm smile and clearly state your name.
Begin the Conversation
Continue the Conversation
If you are building a rapport(关系), feel free to move on to a bit more personal topics to continue the conversation.
When you have run out of things to say or need to move on to do something else, prepare your exit strategy. You may say that you need to use the bathroom or catch up with someone else. Let the other person know how much you enjoyed talking to her.
| A．End the Conversation. |
| B．Bring up a general topic to begin the conversation. |
| C．This will help keep the conversation flowing freely. |
| D．If appropriate, make plans to talk again at a later date. |
| E．Your conversational partner will feel valued and appreciated. |
| F．Explain who you are and why you want to have the conversation. |
| G．You may want to ask about his favourite hobby, his career, his classes or upcoming events. |
5 . Taking the chance to ask questions is more important than someone else answering them. Every day holds countless opportunities to better connect with the world around you through the questions you ask.
●
The questions you ask about yourself help you better understand the unique person you are. The better you understand yourself, the more you can build your life around the things you want and need, and set yourself up for future success. Get to know yourself better by asking yourself simple interview questions about these and other qualities. When you understand yourself well, the things you do make more sense.
●Use What You Know to Discover What You Don’t
A question is little more than a bridge between what you currently know and what you don’t yet know. To mark out a question, you need to draw from things you already know and highlight any gaps you are trying to fill. Taking advantage of existing knowledge to further your learning is a powerful tool. The more knowledge and curiosity you can bring into your exploration of life, the more possibilities you create for yourself.
●Practice Active Listening
People want to be heard and appreciated. Everyone wants to feel that their existence is recognized and valued by others. It turns out to be remarkably easy to give this gift to people by asking them great questions. Next time you’re at a happy hour or fancy party, try this. Pick someone to talk to, and give them your full attention.
| A．Question Yourself |
| B．Fill curiosity with enthusiasm |
| C．Give you room to share more of your stories with them |
| D．It’s easier to see why something may not have worked for you |
| E．All it takes is to spot those opportunities and take them often! |
| F．What you already know can help you better understand this situation |
| G．Listen to what they say, and ask thoughtful questions that allow them to tell you more |
6 . For some people gratitude comes naturally; other people may have to actively think about being grateful for what they have. But it doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you do.
Make you feel better about yourself
Being grateful for what you have could reduce social comparisons about money and success. These comparisons can lower self-esteem (自尊心).
Improve social relationships
May improve your health
A study found that grateful people are more likely to say that they are in good physical health. The researchers found people who express gratitude are more likely to take part in healthy activities and ask for medical help when they need it.
Make you more empathetic (能产生共鸣的)
Gratitude is a good act. It can make you a more empathetic person.
| A．The levels of empathy differ from person to person. |
| B．Showing gratitude can help you make more friends. |
| C．Gratitude is good for health, relationships and happiness. |
| D．Practicing gratitude can also make people mentally healthier. |
| E．Being able to step into another person’s shoes is very important. |
| F．People who learn from their mistakes can make real changes in their lives. |
| G．But grateful people are able to appreciate the achievements of other people. |
1. What are the speakers mainly talking about?
| A．Work projects. | B．Various games. | C．Team building activity. |
| A．The trust game. | B．The personality tests. | C．The group sports events. |
| A．In their rooms. | B．Under the tree. | C．In the dining hall. |
8 . How to make conversation with a group of strangers
One of the most common fears is speaking to strangers. While most people don’t naturally enjoy talking to strangers, it is an art that you can learn. When you learn how to make conversation with a group of strangers, you never have to stand by yourself at a party again.
Practice talking to as many strangers as possible throughout the day.
Make a comment about something interesting in the environment. This may be something as simple as the decorations for the party or the band providing the entertainment.
Ask for an opinion. People enjoy giving their opinion on any subject.
Learn to listen. Making conversation is about more than trying to find the right words to say.
| A．Introduce yourself. |
| B．Try to catch strangers’ attention. |
| C．Ask about book ideas, gift ideas or dining ideas. |
| D．Each time you do this, you will feel more confident. |
| E．Develop the habit of listening to others carefully to understand them. |
| F．A comment like this gives the group something in common to discuss. |
| G．Ask the group to share what they do for a living or whether they enjoy their work. |
9 . During the rosy years of elementary school(小学), I enjoyed sharing my dolls and jokes, which allowed me to keep my high social status. I was the queen of the playground. Then came my tweens and teens, and mean girls and cool kids. They rose in the ranks not by being friendly but by smoking cigarettes, breaking rules and playing jokes on others,among whom I soon found myself.
Popularity is a well-explored subject in social psychology. Mitch Prinstein, a professor of clinical psychology sorts the popular into two categories: the likable and the status seekers. The likables’ plays-well-with-others qualities strengthen schoolyard friendships, jump-start interpersonal skills and, when tapped early, are employed ever after in life and work. Then there’s the kind of popularity that appears in adolescence: status born of power and even dishonorable behavior.
Enviableas the cool kids may have seemed, Dr. Prinstein’s studies show unpleasant consequences. Those who were highest in status in high school, as well as those least liked in elementary school, are “most likely to engage(从事) in dangerous and risky behavior.”
In one study, Dr. Prinstein examined the two types of popularity in 235 adolescents, scoring the least liked, the most liked and the highest in status based on student surveys(调查研究). “We found that the least well-liked teens had become more aggressive over time toward their classmates. But so had those who were high in status. It clearly showed that while likability can lead to healthy adjustment,high status has just the opposite effect on us."
1. What sort of girl was the author in her early years of elementary school?| A．Unkind. | B．Lonely. |
| C．Generous. | D．Cool. |
| A．They appeared to be aggressive. |
| B．They tended to be more adaptable. |
| C．They enjoyed the highest status. |
| D．They performed well academically. |
10 . How to Keep a Relationship Healthy and Strong
Are you new to experiencing relationships? Well, let me give you advice on having a healthy and possibly longterm relationship.
Make sure you give them respect. Now respect isn’t just simply treating her or him nicely. There’s a lot more to it. You have to learn to adjust to their liking.
Make sure you have a good sense of humor with them. Laughter is the key to happiness. Laugh a lot with them, joke with them. Laughter may seem silly, but it’s the secret to a lot in life. It will keep the sparks alive.
Make sure the communication is good. This goes along with trust, but always communicate how you feel, even if it’s something that upsets you. Instead of screaming, talk to them.
| A．Show them your personality. |
| B．Be an honest person with them. |
| C．Make sure you are encouraging to your partners. |
| D．Laughter keeps the relationship strong and lasting. |
| E．Don’t start to neglect them and make them feel unwanted. |
| F．Basically, learn to study your partners’ moods, wants and needs. |
| G．If they did something that made you unhappy, tell them about it in a respectful manner. |
